MVN - Most Valuable Network

Calling All Rookies! Development Camp Begins Tuesday

Boston, MA- It’s been nearly three months since the last time the Boston Bruins took the ice in their game seven loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and although the 2008-09 season is still a few months away, there will be some action on the ice this week for fans to enjoy. From July 8-12, the Bruins will be holding their second annual Development Camp at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Massachusetts. A total of 21 future members of the Black and Gold will lace up their skates this week in an attempt to make an early impression on the Boston brass before training camp.

Starting at the back and working forward, three goaltenders will take turns minding the crease. Kevin Regan will draw the most attention in goal, as he is expected to back up Tuukka Rask in Providence this season. Adam Courchaine and Michael Hutchinson will return to their junior teams this year, but this camp should at least give those two a chance to get their feet wet.

Six defensemen will get some early work in, and of the six, two have already seen some time in the AHL with Providence. The first of those two is Adam McQuaid. McQuaid is the only player at the development camp to have spent the entire 2007-08 season with the P-Bruins. In 68 games, the 21 year old picked up a goal and eight assists. Adam will be joined on the blueline by two more players who will likely be his teammates this coming season in Providence. Jeff Penner played in two games at the end of last season, while Andrew Bodnarchuk joined the team in the playoffs, but was unable to see any action on the ice. The other three defensemen are Tommy Cross, Alain Goulet, and Denis Reul - all players who are at least a year away from playing in Rhode Island.

Up front, there is lots of excitement. Four of the twelve forwards at the development camp have already seen time with the Baby B’s, and all have made significant contributions in a short amount of time. Jeff LoVecchio spent the most time in Providence last year, tallying three goals and two assists in 14 regular season games. Two of his three goals came shorthanded. 2007 first round draft pick Zach Hamill was the next one to join the Peebs. In seven games, the 19 year old had five assists to account for all of his points, but did score the game winning goal in the shootout of his first career game on April 4th against the Hartford Wolf Pack. 19 year old Jordan Knackstedt dressed in five games with Providence this past season, and found the back of the net twice in that time. Although Levi Nelson didn’t get a chance to suit up with the P-Bruins this season, he did play in one regular season game and four playoff contests in 2006-07, scoring a goal in Providence’s first round series with Hartford.

Two players come to the development camp following terrific junior careers, and will more than likely find themselves in Providence when the 2007-08 season kicks off. Those two are Brad Marchand and Matt Marquardt. Marchand was taken by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and has spent his four year career in the QMJHL with three different teams. In those four seasons, Marchand reached the President’s Cup Final twice, winning it once with the Moncton Wildcats in 2006. Ironically, one of Marchand’s teammates on that Moncton squad was Marquardt. At the time, the now 20 year old forward was only able to record 16 regular season goals, but in the next two seasons, Marquardt exploded for 41 and 43 respectively.

Joining these six snipers at forward will be Mikko Lehtonen, as well as the five draft picks from this summer: Jamie Arniel, Joe Colborne, Mark Goggin, Maxime Sauve, and Nicholas Tremblay. Lehtonen has spent the past four seasons playing for the Blues in Finland, but could find himself playing for the Baby B’s this year, assuming he stays in North America. The other five players will either return to juniors or begin life as a college student in the fall.

Before fans think it’s all about the youngsters, be on the lookout for a pair of NHLers making their way back from season-ending injuries during the 2007-08 season. Goaltender Manny Fernandez and forward Patrice Bergeron are both expected to be on the ice all week in Wilmington, making strides toward returning to the Boston lineup on opening night.

Former Bruin and current Director of Hockey Operations and Player Development Don Sweeney will be leading the way on the staff for the week. He will be joined by Boston assistant coach Geoff Ward, as well as Scott Gordon and Rob Murray, the coaching staff from the defending regular season champion Providence Bruins. Strength and Conditioning Coach John Whitesides will also be in attendance to lead the troops off the ice.

The first session takes place Tuesday July 8th from 10-11 a.m., but will only feature Bergeron and Fernandez, as the other players will be taking care of medical and physical testing. The rest of the group will hit the ice on Wednesday before heading over to Fenway Park to catch the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 12:27 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.